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Through the Lens (Sounds of Yesteryears Beach Boys)

By Chuck Clegg - | Sep 26, 2024

(Photo by Chuck Clegg) The Beach Boys concert at Capitol Music Hall in Wheeling.

Last Saturday evening Mary and myself, along with our friends Connie and Earl Yost, traveled to Wheeling to hear the sounds from our youth. Last spring they contacted us asking if we would like to go to a concert in Wheeling. Not sure I even knew when or who was performing that far in advance.

With the arrival of fall 2024 in the Ohio Valley, so did the Beach Boys take to the stage at the Capitol Music Hall. Upon arrival, we were greeted by hundreds of people waiting in line to enter the grand old building. For as long as I can remember the building has always been there. When I was younger, my mother would take me on a bus from our home in Lancing Ohio to downtown Wheeling. To me it was the BIG city. An imaginary New York along the river. Remember I was a kid who probably just finished watching Captain Kangaroo on a round black and white TV. Occasionally, mom’s shopping took us past the theater. I would marvel at the images on the coming performers’ show bills posted on the front of the building. Kitty Wells, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Little Jimmy Dickens are the names I most remember because they were a bit unusual to a six-year-old child.

The days of those performers have long passed, and not so long ago the future of the Capital Music Hall was also in question. But, with a lot of good people working hard, the onetime Home of West Virginia Country Music is still with us. And still providing great entertainment today

As we entered the theater, l took time to marvel at its grand interior. The cathedral ceilings and statuaries are perfectly lit overlooking the audience. There is something special about the theater and its rich history and beautiful architecture.

One more thing I noticed, the gathering of Beach Boy fans was, well I won’t say old, just say there were a lot of seniors. A LOT! People who can remember when the band was one of the most popular in our country. They were Americas’ band even before the British invasion.

The band has been playing since 1961. That means for sixty-three years they have been musically telling us of the surf, sand, beautiful bikini clad young ladies and hot rods. No political overtones or bad words, just music to enjoy and dance too.

Speaking of dancing, have you ever seen a room full of people in the high end of life’s decade standing, and doing the Watusi or Twist? Somehow the music lights and singing of Mike Love sparked a bit of energy that a good dose of Geritol could never do.

By evening’s end, the audience members were smiling and reaching for a tube of Bengay to ease tomorrow morning’s aches and pains from their spontaneous dancing fits. For two hours the band played the music just like it was meant to be played. And the songs sounded just like they did 63 years ago.

I will have to say it was the second-best concert I have ever attended, the first was Jimi Hendrix, the best show ever.

On the way home, I could hear Mary and Connie humming the melodies of the Beach Boys. We all enjoyed the evening, and for just a few hours we returned to a time and memories when our hair was dark, our knees didn’t hurt and the only care in the world was, “Are the Beatles coming to America”. That’s the way I see it Through the Lens.